Upstairs deck - need some ideas on updating please
Nicole
7 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (9)
Nicole
7 years agoRelated Discussions
Newly purchased 1950's home, I need some landscaping & exterior ideas
Comments (11)I completely love the twirly bits, and the window trim. It's unique, special and shows the family within has a sort of fun spirit. If you would be more comfortable with a cottage that looks more "regular", then take it off. But please don't! For some color and inspiration, google French provencal fabric images. I can completely see a little black metal bistro table and wood slat back chairs on your porch with a cloth of one of those fabrics. I would paint it a light dusky blue, with white trim and mid-charcoal accents around the windows and the corner pieces on the front porch. Although the yellow with the blue would be quite right too! The front walk looks to be in good condition. You can do a stone overlay on that, letting a small portion of the stones hang over the straight edge, to give it a little more rustic look. It looks like you have a good collection of Queen of the Nile lilies (guessing here). Were they blue on blooming? You can create some slightly larger and curving beds in the front, and transplant some within it. I would add lavender and rosemary in a mix with those. For some grey and texture, put some lambs ears (a perennial) along the outside edge. Check your local growing zone to see what will thrive in your area! Lucky you. What a find!...See MoreHelp! 80s bathroom in need of some budget updating ideas
Comments (25)If this is just a budget improvement then I would try to fix the cracked tiles and missing grout, paint the window frame white and add white shutters on the window, paint the vanity white (although I don't like doing that either) and get new handles and taps, toilet roll holder etc., install a lovely white potted plant, as shown above and white fluffy towels. A new white frame on the mirror or replace it with a slightly smaller white framed one. Then I would save up for a white stone bench top or stone overlay bench top and the cream will go nicely with all of it. Unfortunately your shower seems to be the most dated part. If you try to change the door you may find that you have missing tiles, although new floor tiles in the shower would probably look OK and add a glass hinged door. Good luck....See Moredesign and layout struggles. need some ideas
Comments (12)Hi Ben, advise you engage a Pro to assist you with the front end design process. All these design decisions need to be founded securely on construction cost knowledge, and it's invariably about balancing your requirements to budget within context. Whether it's sub floor, 2nd storey or going out or whatever there are always options on how to achieve your needs and pro/cons & costs to stack up. Working out various configurations of spaces etc is relatively easy, however designing to budget is not, which is where you get the value of utilising professional services for this. These types of projects and investments involved are with all due respect too large, complex and significant to risk DIY'ing the critical front end. You can give it a go but I'll bet you continue to go round in circles. As we explain to our clients in the preliminary conversations, it's not your job to "work it out". All you need to "work out" at this stage is clarifying your particular living requirements and nominate a budget. The "how" and balancing up/negotiation/compromising between the project priorities/requirements and the budget limit is the job of the professional, what the design process deals with, and what we (as design professionals) have the superior capacity/experience to assist you working through it all to achieve the best solution for your particular situation/scenario. That's your best bet here. Hope this helps steer you in the right direction. Cheers PD...See MoreHelp please! Floorplan ideas needed for underneath the house...
Comments (14)Thank you oklouise. That’s very nice of you to offer. We have had a builder provide some advice around some of the structural walls, etc - one of which is that little storage area under the new ensuite. We had explored removing that to make it a double garage but it really would blow out costs and advice was the extended double garage would probably be cheaper. I do very much see your point about spending money on legal-height extra room though - makes complete sense. I would like to do something with the front porch - with the deck and under deck areas, I don’t foresee us using the porch much at all. The exterior house walls are structural though so again, it could be costly to move. There is also a window into Bed2 that opens onto the porch so this would either have to be filled in (there is another one but not sure we want to decrease light or breeze) or built around. I did want to close in the screen door to the living room and build in a bit but it could be a lot of expense for perhaps a metre wide gain!!? I wasn’t sure how we were going to use the storage under the new ensuite but from your design, I think that garage area would be good as the kids play room and that area as their toy/games storage. With family overseas, we usually travel once a year and have luggage for all of us so happy to have just an extra storage room (such as that under the porch). We only really need 4 bedrooms so I still think sacrificing the upstairs study is probably still the best use of space. We were going to do the reno in two stages - garage, ensuite and stairs before we moved in and then downstairs afterwards. Perhaps we hold off on the stairs to live in and feel first....See MoreUser
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agowuff
7 years agoNicole
7 years agowuff
7 years agosuzineedsahouse
7 years agoJanine van Leeuwen Interiors
7 years agoAnn M
7 years ago
MB Design & Drafting